Types of Brick Mortar Joints

Building Materials - Table of Contents.........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,....... Illustrated Architecture Dictionary

Types of Brick Mortar Joints

Beaded/Convex

A beaded mortar joint is slightly rounded out from the surface of the brick.

Concave

Concave joints are, unsurprisingly, shaped with a slightly curved, concave pattern.

Extruded/Weeping

Weeping mortar brick involves applying a very large amount of mortar when laying the brick, but then not scraping or molding the mortar after it squishes out between the bricks. No tools are used.

Flush

The mortar is flat, in appearance, and even with the surface of the brick.
In brickwork, a masonry joint in which an excess of mortar is applied; then a trowel is held flat against the brick surface and moved along the surface, so as to cut away the excess mortar.

Grapevine

While most popular during America's Colonial period, this design is often replicated in newer brickwork. It is created with a grapevine jointer, which is a metal blade with a raised bead that creates an indented line in the center of the mortar joint.

Messy/Sloppy

To create a messy mortar joint, the process involves adding a generous amount of wet mortar during the bricklaying process. Then some of the mortar is scraped off, but the brick is not wiped clean.

Raked/Recessed

The mortar has a flat surface, but it is indented about 2mm deeper than the surface of the brick (for a raked joint) or 2-5mm deeper for a recessed joint so that the brick seems to stick out from the mortar work.

V/Vee

V joint brick mortar is created with a tool that has a sharp point rather than a rounded tool.

Weathered

A weathered mortar joint involves using a tool to scrape out the mortar during the bricklaying process a few millimeters under the top brick at a 45-degree angle until the mortar lines up flush at the bottom of the joint with the lower brick.

For more information see Blythe Building Company (online October 2022)

Special thanks to Michael Swart for his assistance in 2022.